Dhalkewar: An ambulance received by the Dhalkewar Health Post in the Mithila Municipality in the northern part of Dhanusha from the Indian Embassy 10 years ago has been stalled for four years.
Locals have complained that the ambulance has been forced to take the patient to the district headquarters Janakpurdham for a distance of 25 km due to lack of maintenance for the past four years.
In January 2008, the Indian Embassy in Nepal provided a free ambulance to Dhalkewar Health Post. The ambulance was supposed to take the residents of Dhalkewar and surrounding areas to the hospital. But the ambulance has been stalled for four years after it suddenly broke down.
According to the then vice-chairman of the management committee, Ram Dular Mahato, the ambulance was an easy way for more than 45,000 villagers to reach the hospital. Laxman Baraili, 60, of Dhalkewar in Mithila Municipality-7 says that he had to suffer a lot recently as an ambulance was not available to take the emergency patients to the district headquarters.
Ram Prabodh Sah, in charge of Dhalkewar Health Post, said that the only government ambulance numbered J1J390 had broken down before he reached the health post.
According to the staff, the ambulance has been closed since 2074 BS. "We have a lot of problems without ambulances. A birthing center is also in operation at this health post. An ambulance is essential for that. Sometimes cases of complex conditions also come up. In such cases, the ambulance has to be kept on standby, 'says Sah in charge.
However, in charge Sah said that the upper body was not interested in bringing a new ambulance. In-charge Sah says that ambulances are called to the hospital from the local level every day. He complained that he did not get anything except assurance even though he was repeatedly called to the municipality for an ambulance.
Dipendra Mahato, an ambulance driver at the health post, said that the only government ambulance in Dhalkewar was serving patients from Bandipur in Siraha in the east to Ramgopalpur in Mahottari in the west. He says that he was taken out of the ambulance which he had driven from the beginning under the pretext of stopping the people's representative.
'Initially, we used to take Janakpur from Dhalkewar for Rs 800. At that time, private ambulances used to charge Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. We also provided free services to the helpless who could not even pay the rent, 'says the then driver Mahato.' People's representatives came after the election. The ambulance was also stopped. At present, such helpless people are deprived of free ambulance service.
He claims that the same ambulance can be operated comfortably even if one spends Rs. The only government ambulance in the municipality has come to a standstill. Locals have been deprived of access to government ambulances at affordable rates.
According to the National Census 2068, the total population of Mithila Municipality is 45,164. There are 11 wards in the municipality. But the health workers of the city say that they have not received the expected support from the municipality in the health sector.
'There are a lot of private ambulances now. But they run on their own. Most of it is outside when you search. It would have been easier to be in government. Earlier, those who could not pay the rent were getting the service for free, 'he says,' but now that is no longer the case. The local government does not seem to have paid attention to that.
Earlier, in the first wave of corona infection, the people of the region were suffering due to the lack of government ambulances. Private ambulance drivers refused to carry patients during the transition period.
Meanwhile, Raj Kumar Mahato, the then chairman of the Dhalkewar Health Post Ambulance Management Committee, has accused the government ambulance of stalling due to the negligence of the people's representatives. He said that the ambulance which was still in operation did not even want to carry out general maintenance after the arrival of the people's representative. He has complained that the mayor has not shown much interest even though he has repeatedly requested the municipality to purchase a new ambulance.
Mahato, who is also the regional vice-president of the Nepali Congress in Dhanusha Constituency No. 4, accused the people's representatives of not being serious about sensitive areas like health.
"While there is a car, the mayor has bought a smooth car to get on," he says, "but there is no ambulance to take the people to the hospital even when they are sick." A government ambulance was also stopped due to a lack of maintenance. Even bringing new ones is being delayed now. We went to the delegation several times but nothing happened. '
In this regard, Mithila Municipality Mayor Harinarayan Mahato has responded that the process for a new ambulance has been started as the ambulance of the health post is not even in a condition to be repaired.
According to the then Inspector of Police, Area Police Office, Dhalkewar, Tirtha Kumar Karki, thousands of locals have been suffering due to a lack of ambulances.
However, there are ambulances of various organizations only in the Dhalkewar area. But the locals have been affected when the ambulance run by the health post set up for the treatment of the locals stopped.
